Tea began in China and the six traditional categories of tea were first defined there. These categories reflect how much the leaves are allowed to oxidise and whether they undergo additional steps like fermentation or post-fermentation. They are white tea, green tea, yellow tea, oolong tea, red tea, and dark tea. In Chinese tea culture, “red tea” refers to fully oxidised teas (called black teas in the West), while dark tea refers to aged post-fermented teas like Pu-erh.
Many historical aspects of tea culture found in Japan, Korea, and India also trace back to Chinese origins. Even Japanese tea processing methods, such as steaming green tea or grinding tea into matcha, originate from China. Indian tea plantations exist largely because Robert Fortune spent years in China learning the botany, cultivation, and processing techniques of tea before bringing them back to India.
Knowing the roots of Chinese tea vocabulary enriches your experience of Pu-erh, helping you follow not just its taste but how its sensations unfold and evolve. The word for tea in Chinese Mandarin is 茶 (chá), but in Fujianese/Teochew, spoken in the region where Dancong oolong originates, it is pronounced “te”. This is the origin of the Western word “tea.”
When you pay attention to how Chinese tea lovers talk about Pu-erh, you’ll notice that their descriptions go far beyond simple flavour notes. Instead of freezing a single moment in the cup, the language they use reflects movement, transformation and experience. Tea isn’t just tasted once. You watch it, feel it and follow how it changes in your mouth and over time. This way of talking about Pu-erh helps you appreciate not just what you taste, but how the tea evolves and interacts with you as you drink it.
A core idea in Chinese tea vocabulary is that flavour is not a fixed point. It is something that changes and moves as you drink. A good example is the term 回甘 (huí gān), often translated as “returning sweetness”. In English this can sound like a simple sweet aftertaste, but in Chinese it refers to the way sweetness develops after an initial bitterness and carries you through the tasting experience. This returning sweetness often feels like a warmth or gentle sweetness rising at the back of the throat after an initial bitter impression, making the tea feel alive as you drink.
When Chinese tea lovers describe Pu-erh they don’t separate single sensations. Instead, they talk about how the whole experience changes from one moment to the next. These sensations can vary from person to person depending on how you drink, your background and where you live, reflecting the idea that Pu-erh is a living, evolving drink shaped by many stages of harvest, processing, storage and brewing.
In Chinese tea language the character 味 (wèi) refers to flavour, but it also covers aroma, mouthfeel and even bodily sensations. 甜 (tián) or sweetness is valued highly in Pu-erh, especially in well-aged teas. This sweetness is not sugary but a natural balance that works with other elements in the cup. In good Pu-erh, sweetness and bitterness naturally harmonise. 苦涩 (kǔ sè) combines bitterness and astringency. A young raw Pu-erh might have a noticeable bitter or astringent edge, and traditionally that is not seen as a flaw so long as it transforms and fades with age and brewing. 酸 (suān) or sourness is usually a negative marker in Pu-erh. It can indicate processing or storage issues, such as uneven drying or excessive humidity, and often comes with a thin, weak mouthfeel.
You’ll also hear terms like 浓 (nóng, meaning strong or concentrated flavour), 淡 (dàn, meaning light or diluted flavour), and 青味 (qīng wèi, meaning raw or green flavour). These categories all help you understand not just what a tea tastes like but how it feels as it unfolds, from rich and full to light and refreshing.
In Chinese tea language 香 (xiāng) refers to fragrance and carries positive connotations. It includes not only smell but the sensations that fill your mouth, throat and memory. Many Chinese tasters refer to specific aromatic stages that reflect how a Pu-erh develops because of processing and ageing, with descriptors such as 青草香 (qīngcǎo xiāng) for grass-like aroma in very fresh teas, 清香 (qīngxiāng) for a clean, refreshing scent, 花香 (huāxiāng) for floral notes, 果香 (guǒxiāng) for fruity aromas, 蜜香 (mìxiāng) for honey aroma in aged teas, 木香 (mùxiāng) for woody scent, 药香 (yàoxiāng) for a subtle medicinal fragrance, and 陈香 (chénxiāng) for the overall impression of age and maturity. These terms reflect how fragrance evolves as tea matures and how those changes are tied to both time and process.
Another set of terms focuses on mouthfeel or 口感 (kǒugǎn), the texture of the tea in your mouth. Chinese drinkers describe how a tea feels as much as how it tastes. Common descriptors include 糯米感 (nuòmǐ gǎn) for a sticky, glutinous sensation; 胶质 (jiāozhì) for a rich, gelatinous mouthfeel; 冷 (liáng) for a cooling sensation in the mouth or throat; 油润 (yóurùn) for an oily, smooth feel; 醇厚 (chúnhòu) for deep richness similar to a well-simmered broth; and 清 (qīng) for a clear, pure mouthfeel. These sensations help you convey more than taste alone. They communicate the texture and presence of the tea in your body, adding another layer of understanding to the drinking experience.
Importantly, Chinese descriptions of Pu-erh recognise that tea is subjective. In China people engage with Pu-erh at every stage, from harvest through processing, storage, trade and drinking, and each of these perspectives helps shape the way the tea is described. Chinese tea culture emphasises that the experience of tea can vary from person to person, reflecting not just the tea itself but your own background, location and context. Because of this you will hear the idiom 因人而异 (yīn rén ér yì), meaning “it varies from person to person”, applied to how people describe Pu-erh. The exact same tea can be experienced in different ways by a farmer, a trader, a tea house drinker or someone who drinks it at home, and each perspective adds richness to the larger conversation about what makes Pu-erh unique. Because Chinese tasting language emphasises motion and change rather than static notes, it naturally accommodates variation in how different people experience the same Pu-erh.
In essence, the language of Pu-erh teaches you to drink the tea as a continuous experience. Once you start looking for returning sweetness, shifting mouthfeel and evolving aromas, each cup becomes a richer journey rather than just a flavour snapshot.
